1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating a cooperation processing flow which defines cooperation processing for a plurality of tasks and executing the flow.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a multi-function peripheral combining a copying machine with facsimile, scanner, and printer functions is known. Such a multi-function peripheral allows cooperation between paperwork processing mainly based on sheets of paper which uses the copying machine, the facsimile apparatus, and the like and processing of digitized documents on a personal computer. More specifically, this apparatus can scan a paper document and transfer the resultant data to the personal computer or can transmit a document received by the facsimile function as image data to the personal computer without printing it.
In addition, the automation of more procedures and processes is required in cooperation with each other after paper documents and facsimile received documents are digitized. For this purpose, there has been proposed a technique for preparing cooperation templates describing desired settings for items to be set in advance in a multi-function peripheral, designating a cooperation template, and performing processing upon changing set values as needed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-83263 discloses an image forming apparatus that can store a plurality of output setting data (cooperation templates) for setting output forms and can form and output images in output forms in accordance with selected output setting data. In the above image forming apparatus, as proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-287861, there is a technique for making settings not only for the functions of the apparatus itself but also for other printers, scanners, and other similar devices connecting to a network and for cooperation of processes, thereby allowing cooperation of a plurality of processes.
However, the image forming apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-83263 and 2004-287861 cannot set a cooperation flow in consideration of the processing times in other printers, scanners, and the like connecting to a network and the processing time in the image forming apparatus itself. For this reason, if some limitation is imposed on the time during which processing is to be performed, the above apparatuses cannot terminate a cooperation flow within the time limit.